Library Buildings around the World

uisánchez arquitectes, Barcelona – Spain
http://www.ruisanchez.net
Libraries :
Biblioteca Sagrada y Centro Cultural, Barcelona – Spain 2007
5.956 m², € 5.514.000
Awards:
Catalonia Construction Award - Finalist
Aluminier-Technal. Architecture Awards
Publications :
AV Monographs. Madrid
QUADERNS. Barcelona.
DETAIL. Edición española
Arhitectura. Bucarest
BARCELONA, GUÍA DE ARQUITECTURA CONTEMPORÁNEA 1979-2008
a+t Civities II
A10 New European Architecture
Vía Construcción
The Sagrada Familia Library was constructed by means of reforming an unused building in a public services complex formed by a
market, a civic centre and a car park. The previous building, built in 1992 and intended to be a commercial centre, was never put to
use. It was totally transformed by few though strong gestures: the reorganisation of the entrances to the complex, a profound
modification in the building structure and the replacement of its envelope. In addition, these changes add new value to the block
corner in the heart of Cerdà’s 19th century Eixample district. A dim, shut-off construction has given way to a permeable building
that is open to the light and to the city. Barcelona city council arranged a competition for the construction of the library, subject to
the condition that it was not demolished, due to the manner in which the building is implanted within the complex. The competition
proposal was based on two fundamental operations. The first was to flood the building with light by cutting open a large breach and
transforming its shell. The second consisted of changing the existing system of scattered accesses that were lacking in hierarchy
through a formula that would open up the building onto the street, by converting the main entrances into an extension of the public
thoroughfare. In this way, the corner (which was formerly used as a residual space) is now highlighted and converted into an
important feature. The shopping centre had been designed as a closed building, a compact block turning its back to the city. On the
contrary, the concentration of the new library, the new entrance to the civic centre and the busy market form a unit that plays a
principal role as a centre of activities for the district. Different complex programmes (the Library and Market – their services and
supporting areas, the entrances to the Civil Centre and to the car park) are combined, thereby generating a structure that is open to
the light. A vertical opening that emerges after the elimination of the central aisle gives shape to the building, dividing it up into two
parallel bars, and inserting an area filled with light into the centre of the library; a courtyard flanked by two interior façades that
opens up through a light shaft and is projected towards the exterior through a transparent wall. This new light-filled area is both the
heart and the spinal column of the building. The need to provide natural light has also transformed the exterior facades. The blind
wall gives way to a double skin that filters the light through. A perforated aluminium filter acts as an opaque surface that reflects the
sun during the day and creates the illusion of the awakening of a lamp during the evening and at night. The buiding’s apparence
changes during the day acording to the way in which the light falls on it. The system of screens, filters, transparencies and visuals
contributes to creating a rich space that is forever changing. The central part of the building is extended towards the exterior, where
diverse auxiliary components of the library and market come together to form a single iconic element, creating a new meaning for
the block corner. Instead of being a problem element, the corner became the principal hinge that provides the building with its
urban identity. That screen, covered by the metal veil, generates a vertical plane that recomposes the edges of the corner, acting as a
backdrop and creating a public area, leading from the ramp to the rear of the hall. This element emerges to embrace the space and
integrates into the façade. The corner of the block is converted into the main entrance to the library, to part of the civic centre and to
the market, by means of two wide parallel ramps. From the interior, the space breathes before reaching the street. The access ramps,
paved with material from the street itself, introduce the city into the building. The library entrance hall is a variation of the
Barcelona mezzanine floor, with the only means of direct access being a slope, an extension of the public thoroughfare that runs
underneath the building. The library is not oblivious to the public area of the exterior, but is joined to it. The stairs that sweep
upwards from the entrance to the third floor form a combination of steps suspended in mid-air with the appearance of a reflection of
the reversible perspective of Escher. The stairs and corridors cross the open space, generating a spiral path that passes through the
whole building. The library areas can be discovered by walking through it. The pre-existing distance between the floors of the
commercial building made it possible to leave generous heights for all the library rooms, thereby contributing to its condition of a
“public building” in terms of space. The light filters through the space of the three floors in two colours: the white of the ceiling and
central space and the black of the paving and outer part of the furnishings. Neutral colours were selected for most of the library to
ensure that the necessary touch of colour would be added by the books themselves. The green of the children’s library, different and
bold, stains the light of the hall and consultation area. In the lay-out of the furnishings, the predominant features are
experimentation and the idea that the interior space is like an urban maze: unique spaces can be identified, in which users are able to
recognize places, streets, corners and squares; moments that conceal information: the library collections. The structure of the city
and its spaces have changed in scale and been recreated inside through the system of shelves and tables. In the maze, two elements
allow identification and orientation: the different colours used for the back of the shelves and a system of indicators inspired by
urban signs and signposts. In addition, some of the furniture takes the form of a series of ribbons around the perimeter and, thanks
to their location near the light, allow for the creation of reading, consultation and other areas. This ribbons system acts as an
organizational element and colonizes the space. They move and all the furniture elements emerge from them. They change in shape
and colour when they come into contact with the air and light. They are the ribbons of a gymnast which, when thrown into the air,
take on different shapes and heights, depending on their functions. Light and emotion are scattered in space, opened by a breach
that divides the building. There is not change, but a transformation in the environment already created in the new building: the
library that is open to the light as it is to knowledge. ( http://www.arhitectura1906.ro )
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